How to get more luxury out of your vacation without spending a lot: Part 6 of 6 from Gary Leff

Gary’s Tip #6: The Citi Bank Hilton Reserve Card

“Hotel chains treat their frequent guests much better than someone they don’t know well. The top stayers get suites, late checkout, free breakfast, free internet, and even services like dedicated reservations representatives (I have one with Hyatt, Starwood offers them to members who stay 100 nights per year), and lots of bonus points. But you don’t have to be an uber-regular to get some of the better treatment. The big hotel chains have relationships with big banks, and they extend some of the benefits they offer their own elite members to guests who sign up for the credit cards that their best friend banks offer.

The very best deal comes from Hilton and Citibank. The Citi Hilton Reserve Card has a $95 annual fee but gives you Gold status in the HHonors program just for carrying the card. That means free club lounge access (evening snacks, daily breakfast, at many hotels free cocktails), free internet, and upgrades — probably not to suites, but often to a bigger room or a better room.. As a signup bonus, they’ll give you two free weekend nights at nearly any Hilton family property in the world after you put $2500 of spending on the card. That’s certainly worth more than the annual fee.”

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Many thanks to Gary for sharing 6 great tricks on getting the biggest bang for your buck so we can travel in style! To read the entire series, click here. If you travel often, follow his blog for regular tips and current deals. The man is an expert at discovering loopholes, online mistakes the airlines and hotels have to honor, and how to manipulate the fine print. You can feel free to tweet him questions @GaryLeff. He’s super sweet so don’t be shy.